Crazy
by Shaz1
Summary: Part of my Trait Series. Everybody thinks Carrie is crazy- what are Quinn's thoughts on that?
1. Chapter 1

Crazy

Part of the Trait Series!

Crazy

Peter Quinn looked around the new tech set up- he was fairly pleased with what they had already achieved. His teams of trusty operatives were already in place and the eyes and ears were in hand. It had been a while since the Black Ops agent had run an investigation- his role was generally of a different dynamic.

He looked around in amusement, this was likely to be the longest amount of time he had spent on US soil for quite some years and he genuinely wasn't sure how he felt about that- still this operation had a chance to prove very interesting. He looked up as another agent walked into the room, the older man with a beard- instantly recognising the man as Saul Berenson, he moved towards him and extended his hand in greeting- Quinn accepted the gesture and shook hands with the senior agent.

"Saul Berenson" the older man stated simply.

"Peter Quinn" he responded sitting back against the table with his arms folded across his chest.

"So Estes brought you in?" Saul asked, already realising that he wouldn't get any information from the younger man. He took in his appearance, crumpled shirt with the sleeves partially rolled up, bright inquisitive blue eyes and dark hair.

"He briefed me up" Quinn replied deliberately misunderstanding the question. Saul rolled his eyes, he hadn't really been expecting anything else. Estes had told him that the young man in front of him was an Analyst, Saul had his doubts then and meeting the man was proving his point- something about the way he held himself, the unassuming yet confident way that he met his eye suggested he was anything but an office worker, but Saul knew when to question and when to just observe so he but his tongue.

"Good- Carrie should be here shortly" Saul responded and noted the slight smile that statement brought to the younger man. Just as the words left his mouth the door swung open and the woman herself walked through with Max and Virgil in tow. Saul watched on as Quinn stepped forward.

"So who are these guys?" he asked without skipping a beat.

"The same guys that have already watched Brody for three hundred hours- who are you?" the CIA Case officer replied in confusion. Looking at the young agent in front of her in confusion.

"The guy running things" he replied simply, masking his face into a small smile, knowing immediately that it would rile the woman- gauging her reaction to see how their relationship would evolve.

"Is that right?" Carrie asked, knowing that her face would give away her thoughts on that matter, but having no idea what on earth was going on or who the handsome stranger in front of her was.

"Yes it is" Saul interjected, trying to make sure that Carrie knew it was above board and not any type of conspiracy that would set her paranoia off.

"And I don't like surprises" Quinn commented, his blue eyes locked on to her face as he spoke, knowing that he was pushing her.

"I am not crazy about them either" Carrie responded keeping her tone neutral, and almost surprising herself with how she seemed to be accepting this update.

"Crazy? Interesting word" Quinn stated, his eyes still not leaving her face. Carrie couldn't help the smile that made its way on to her face, she genuinely couldn't believe the cheek of the man, and fund herself struggling to respond. Before she could even formulate a response, he had stepped forward and held his hand out to her. "Peter Quinn" he stated and she found herself shaking hands with him almost involuntarily.

"Carrie" she finally replied, and as he completed her surname she found her confusion growing- he was a confident guy and he clearly knew her back story or some of it at least. "I like your work" he stated with a smile, and yet she had never heard of him, never seen him, never even known he existed. His words made her falter and she looked away, tucking her hair behind her ear before glancing back at him.

"Peter Quinn from where?" she asked.

"Same place as you"

"Officer"

"Analyst"

"Estes brought him in" Saul added, keen to get the ball rolling in the op and away from this awkward situation, Carrie was having none of it and continued to question the newcomer, he answered for a few more seconds, before it was obvious that Quinn's patience were also getting tested beyond measure.

"Are we done with the meet and greet" he finally stated ad Saul agreed.

The three then moved on to the operational matters with Quinn outlining his plan- Carrie had to admit she was impressed with what he had come up with- for someone so new to the Op he clearly already had a good understanding of Brody and their objectives.

"So I am only half a moron" he ended with a grin before turning away. Carrie couldn't help the smile of amusement that escaped her- he was an interesting character this Peter Quinn, she had no idea what to make of him, or if she could even trust him, but he spoke with confidence, genuinely sounded like he knew what he was talking about and had fully briefed her on his plan, but then why had Estes brought an outsider in?

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Quinn smiled to himself as he moved across the office, the initial meeting had gone how he hoped- he could see he had got Carrie on the back foot, she had not been expecting his appearance that was clear to see. He liked dropping just enough information to show he knew what he was doing and that he knew who she was- especially when she had no idea who he was- why would she? These were not circles he generally moved in, his very existence relied on him living in the shadows.

He sat back ready to watch Carrie Mathison at work- quietly observing her interaction with Brody he smiled to himself, she was a good operator- smooth and practiced. That's why he would need to keep an eye on her, be careful how much he let slip. Check which side of the line she balanced on when it came to Brody.

Was she crazy? He had heard the whispers, heard the rumours and read the casefiles- on the surface there was an element of that. Yet the woman he had met today was clear, calm and focussed. A woman that knew what she needed to do and knew how to do it, if that was craziness maybe there was a place for it?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Carrie was surprised by the faith that the 'analyst' had shown in her- they had never met and he was basing his judgement solely on reading reports and a brief meeting with her- yet had immediately supported her, offering just the right amount of reassurance and confidence in her play.

It felt almost strange- she had spent the last months fighting and arguing her case to get anybody to listen to her- yet he had immediately followed her judgement and listened to her inkling. She smiled to herself- wondering who the stranger was and exactly what he was doing on this operation.

Saul hadn't looked to know any more than she did, which concerned her, and she had never heard the senior agent mention Peter Quinn, and she had worked with him on and off for many years so she was certain their paths would have crossed.

Sure the CIA was a big agency and it moved in different circles all across the World so there was no way that you would ever get to know even fifty percent of the analysts, but there was something about him that just screamed that he was way more than that.

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Quinn sat back his feet resting on the desk in front of him- a picture of relaxation to the untrained eye. It was interesting watching the CCTV footage of Carrie and Brody interacting, he still wasn't quite sure whether she had been playing Brody all along of if it had been love. He shrugged his shoulders to himself, not sure that it actually mattered either way.

He got to his feet and surveyed the pictures on the board in front of him, absorbing every detail that they had. He wasn't surprised when Carrie returned and headed straight across to Saul. He couldn't help bit compliment her on her work as she returned, he sensed that she was no where near as confident in herself as she clearly wanted to come across.

He sat down and noticed her looking at the screens surrounding him, almost pleased when she acknowledged his work. She sat beside him, close enough that he could smell her perfume, but he barely registered that as the two watched Brody on the screen, noting every interaction that the disgraced marine had. He sighed as they gained little information without an audio feed- their own building being the issue.

He got to his feet and moved a couple of pictures on the board, whilst Carrie printed off the latest images. He picked up the carton of peanuts on the side and chewed absentmindedly as he thought how to approach his next conversation. Well he was nothing if not direct so he just came straight out with his question.

"So you were fucking him huh?" he stated, immediately recognising Carrie's shock at his question.

"Who are you fucking?" she parried, and without hesitation he replied.

"An ER nurse- but I am not that into her" he responded. He knew he had got under her skin as she walked away with a barbed comment about him being mouthy. He followed her across to the board and found himself satisfied with her response to his further digging. He grinned to himself as she walked away, she was a hard one to read- but someone he found himself starting to like her.

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Virgil's reassurance did nothing to sooth Carrie, sure they had been on apparent opposite postings, but Quinn was clearly a gifted operative so she would have expected to have heard something about him.

She felt the words come out of her mouth before she even thought about it- but she trusted Virgil, she knew he would do her a good job and she knew he could be relied on. Despite his protestations about being busy she knew he would do the enquiries for her.

She turned back around as Estes approached her- surprising her with an almost apology which she accepted with grace she couldn't bring herself to feel. A few minutes past and suddenly she was back alone with Quinn, side by side watching the screens- about to order Greek food to share.

She still couldn't believe how forward the man beside her was- she had known people to be direct before but he pulled no punches. His opening comment hinted at her renowned 'craziness' and he had out and out asked her why she had been sleeping with Brody within a mere few hours of meeting her. She couldn't quite place how it made her feel, and didn't feel the anger that she thought she would.

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Night shift with Mathison and they were going to order Greek- fantastic Quinn thought to himself as he sat back in his chair.

Still, being sat in this CIA building away from Langley with an officer for company was still more attractive than his last assignment, cleaner too so he wouldn't dwell on it for now, even if it was stopping him from seeing his ER nurse for the night- he could survive.

He full well knew that she didn't trust him, pretty sure she would be attempting to do some digging into his file- but he was also extremely confident that she would struggle to find anything in his limited records- that was part of the game. As they both sat there watching Brody on the monitors he took the chance to try and get more of a feeling for the attitude of the woman sat beside him.

"So was it work or love?" he finally asked her, not surprised when she dodged the question despite the relevant. He was far from shocked when she turned the table back onto him- knowing that her trade was to gather information on people he would have been disappointed in her if she hadn't taken the opportunity. He turned to look at her- his posture and tone portraying the image of an open book as he invited her questions. He knew she would start easy.

"Where are you from?"

"Philidelphia" he replied- no point lying on that one, knew she would jump to a certain conclusion- the minute the words 'fancy part' left her lips he knew she was grouping him into the usual people the CIA recruited- graduates, people that had been talent managed from top notch schools. The game made it easy for him to roll with.

"Hill school, Harvard" he replied the lies rolling easily from his tongue.

"Ah good creds"

"It's a requirement in our family" he replied, his shoulders relaxed and his eyes never leaving her face.

"You ever go back to Philly?" she asked, her interest piqued in the openness he portrayed.

"Na there's no good Indian food" he replied, she couldn't help the smile that escaped her at his words.

"And why does Estes like you so much?" she asked changing tact, he hesitated, not by much but just a flicker before he replied.

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She knew she had forced him to talk to her, not answering her relatively simple, natural questions was clearly going to cause suspicion- she also recognised that he was relaxed in his answers, she settled him in and then delivered the one she really wanted the answer to.

"And why does Estes like you so much?" she asked, still looking him in the eye, he didn't look away but he did hesitate for a fraction of a second before he replied.

"Well I am pretty likeable' he responded with a passive expression. She pulled a face and commented on his response, but she found herself struggling to argue it with any passion. He was pretty likeable- which she also hated. "And reliable, I am extremely reliable" he continued. There was something about the way he said it that made her pay attention, she turned to look at him- to really look into his eyes and she saw a depth of emotion there that she couldn't quite place and she thought that for the first time since meeting him he had just been whoever he really was. She nodded, both of their attention drawn back to the screen before she could delve any deeper.

When her cell rang they were both taken by genuine surprise and she felt her nerves instantly beginning to tingle as Brody called her. Quinn was nodding at her to keep going as she spoke, she found it strangely reassuring.

As she ended the call she turned to the other operative and appreciated his suggestions for the next move, she surprised even herself as she was walking out that she found herself turning back to him and admitting that she was nervous. She never freely admitted her weaknesses, why was there something about this man that was making her do it now?

Somehow as he said to her that he wasn't nervous and she was good- she felt a flood of warmth come over her and her confidence renewed. Something about his calm steadying manner just helped to ease her- one more small grin from the 'analyst' and she turned and left, just hoping he was right and she could handle this.

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Quinn smiled gently as she left, surprising himself at how protective towards her he felt, he was not renowned for his diplomacy, but somehow her nerves softened him towards her and he couldn't help but feel she needed the boost. When she thanked him and left he felt a wave of affection for her, which took him by surprise. But he couldn't dwell he was here for a reason, here for a job- and that was what he did- he did the job and then he moved on to the next.

He sat down and reached for the phone, calling Saul to update him knowing that the older man would get there as quickly as he could. Whilst he waited for the other agent he sat and watched. He observed the controlled and rational way that the intelligence officer spoke with their mark- the careful inflections in her tone and the little hooks that she dropped for Brody to pick up on. That didn't jump out as craziness to him, she didn't appear manic and delusional- he was sure she had issues, but how much had been exaggerated to discredit her?

He smiled to himself as he observed her- no Carrie Mathison wouldn't be a problem to him, she was on the right side, and she wasn't crazy- well no more than the rest of them anyway.

The End


End file.
